New iPhone 4 breaking more often than older models

It seems the screen on the new iPhone 4 is breaking 82 percent more than its predecessor, the iPhone 3GS, a recent analysis by SquareTrade said.

SquareTrade, an independent warranty provider, examined the accident claim rates for the iPhone for four months. It found that the overall accident rate for the iPhone 4 was 68 percent more than the iPhone 3GS. It also predicted that 15.5 percent of iPhone 4 owners will break it within a year of buying it.

Sounds like it’s time to put that cell phone in a protective case.

The iPhone 4’s larger glass screen seems to make it more prone to scratches and cracking, SquareTrade said. Still, it added, the iPhone may be more reliable than its smartphone rivals and other consumer electronics. In an earlier study of smartphones and their failure rates, the iPhone came out on top compared with the Blackberry and Palm Treo.

The report comes on the heels that smartphones continue to grow in popularity. Smartphone sales around the globe jumped 96 percent over the past three months, Gartner said in its latest report. In North America, the smartphone race had the Android in first place, followed by Apple and RIM’s Blackberry.